What a whirlwind year. It began with a successful break and enter in January at which I ended up tying for first in the Bonnie and Clyde with Piecez against Cleo and my old Montreal break teacher, Jonas, who got me into this whole scene. break and enter continued with yet another successful event in April drawing in breakers from all over: Detroit, New York, Calgary, and Montreal.

Our summer was highlighted with our “semi”-success at the Rock Steady Crew 2 on 2 invite only battle. While Ms. M and I failed to move on in our first battle, one can’t go wrong if the crowd loudly boos the judges decision, and Crazy Legs goes out of his way to e-mail us to say we definitely won the battle.

The Detroit, Montreal, and Toronto craziness Warp Tour was marked by my nasty hollowback, and my ensuing nasty injury, which put me out for months. But luckily I was able to battle at the “b-boy/b-girl Olympics” at Seattle’s Freestyle Session, and shortly later in the year we placed third overall in the round robin BTX battle and third at the Ultimate Breakdown crew battle.

I will forever love our crazy hair, makeup and costumes at Fashion Cares -- dressed as the white haired Matrix twins in gold Adidas tracksuits, and the Asian Cruella De Ville when we performed at the David Morales and Tony Sanchez night. My love goes out to our breaking classes, filled with such keen and talented students. Finally, we end 2003 working hard as a crew, motivated to do well at the World B-boy Championships in 2004. From infinite training sessions, to routine and run making, I can’t wait to find out what’s in store for 2004!

jennrock:

What? 2003? I thought by now we'd be doing the robot with robots! You telling me The Jetsons was just a spin off of The Flinstones? Last year was full of proud crew moments, from eating brunch in Boston with Kool Herc to placing third at the Bag of Trix Anniversary battle. But what I treasure most is the evolution of the b-girl. From seeing a six year old girl six stepping into a freeze to keen b-girls telling us they visit our site everyday, we're moving beyond the novelty. I look forward to what's ahead for b-girls and of course, the b-boys. A shout out to the pioneers like the Buffalo Gals, and love and thanks to the community around us.

mae hem:

2003 was weird for me, very much without focus. It was more of a whole year in transition . I can’t believe it’s over, nothing felt solid and real - kind of like a movie on fast-forward. The most memorable time of the year in terms of breaking was the time I spent in North Cali. I’ve always felt that the Bay Area was kind of a second home just because my parents have lived there for a while but this time around it really felt like it because of b-boying too. The b-boys I met when I was there in May, really took me in and made me feel included. For the first time I felt that there’s life beyond the Toronto scene, something I knew existed but never felt before. The 5 weeks I spent in the Bay gave me a weird confidence, which as soon as I returned to Toronto I kind of forgot about. The rest of the year was a struggle to get it back or try and remember that I had it or something (i.e. more transitions without end states). Naturally, I have to mention Kool Herc. Meeting him and being on the same bill as him (as well as Seen, Tats Crew, and all those other wicked artists), was probably the most humbling hip hop experience to date. The man is KOOL! As for battles, Freestyle Session Seattle rocked my world!

Ms. Mighty:

2003 was a year of self-improvement in all aspects of my life including dance. It was sometime in March 2003 where I decided to start testing my limits, creatively, emotionally, physically.

Highlights for me:
* City Vs. City in Chicago: battling 1 on 1, ABGirl telling me how much I'd improved, and celebrating my birthday in Chi-town.
* fFIDA "break her fall": collaborating with modern dancers and a choreographer, exploring a new forum for breaking, expanding my dance repertoire, and gaining new confidence in 'diversifying'.
* Warped Tour 2003: I've never been so overtired in my life but I really loved the idea that my only responsibility each day was putting on a great show.
* Freestyle Session in Seattle @ Bumbershoot: bringing breaking to a new audience.
* Trip to Boston for Karmaloop fashion show and brunch with Kool Herc: no need to elaborate.
* Having a dedicated and keen bunch of students for the fall shebang! session
* Having a headstart on 2004 with renewed dedication to practicing from everyone in the crew.